1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof electric connector for use in an environment that is exposed to water, and particularly, to waterdrops.
2. Description of the Related Art
To make electric connectors waterproof, not only must connector housings themselves be watertight, but also the gaps between the housings and electric wires with terminals to be inserted into the housings. To this end, conventionally, the electric wires are inserted first into waterproof plugs, each having small and large diameter portions, and then into terminals, each having an electric contact member at its front end, an electric wire conductive member at the center and an electric wire fastening member with a waterproof plug at its rear end. The electric wires are fixed by the electric wire conductive members, whereas the small diameter portions of the waterproof plugs are fixed by the electric wire fastening members. The terminals to which the waterproof plugs and electric wires are secured are inserted into the housing. (Refer to Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-71082.)
Fine electric wires are likely to bend when they are inserted into the waterproof plugs during the operation of inserting such terminals into the housing. This consumes time because it is difficult to crimp the electric wires to the terminals after they have been inserted into the waterproof plugs.
The present invention solves the above problems, and the object thereof is to provide a highly reliable waterproof electric connector which renders the inserting operation easy and is capable of retaining waterproof plugs by incorporating a waterproof plug retaining member into a connector housing and by inserting terminals connected to electric wires into the waterproof plugs.